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Colorado Springs nightclub shooting
Part of mass shootings in the United States
5km 3miles Club Q
Location	Club Q, Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S.
Date	November 19–20, 2022 c. 11:56 p.m. – 12:02 a.m. (MST)
Target	Patrons of Club Q
Attack type	Mass shooting
Weapons	Two firearms including a long rifle
Deaths	5
Injured	26 (including the suspect; 19 by gunfire)

On November 19–20, 2022, a mass shooting occurred at Club Q, a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States. Five people were killed, and 25 others were injured, 19 of them by gunfire. The suspect, 22-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich, was also injured and taken to a local hospital.

Background

Club Q is a gay club that opened in 2002 and was for a time the only LGBTQ club in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the state's second-most populous city with a population of just under 500,000. A 2021 article by Denver-based magazine 5280 said the club is "where LGBTQ folks go for drag performances, dance parties, and drinks, and it supports the community with event sponsorships, pride celebrations, charity drives, and more." Club Q also hosted several events for people of all ages, including brunches and an upcoming Thanksgiving event.

Shooting

According to the police chief, the shooting began when a gunman entered Club Q while a dance party was being held. He immediately began shooting at people with a long rifle inside while moving further into the building. A witness reported initially mistaking the gunshots as part of the music and continuing to dance until he heard another volley of shots. A club patron eventually grabbed a handgun from the gunman and pistol-whipped him with it, then held him down with the assistance of another patron. The New York Times reported that the gunman was armed with an AR-15 style rifle and wearing body armor.

Police received an initial call for service regarding the shooting at 11:56 p.m. on November 19, with the first officer being dispatched a minute later. The first responding officer arrived in the area at 12:00 midnight and arrested the suspect two minutes later. A total of 39 patrol officers from all four divisions of the Colorado Springs Police Department, along with 34 firefighters and 11 ambulances, responded to the scene.

Suspect

The suspect was identified as Anderson Lee Aldrich (born May 20, 2000), a resident of Colorado Springs. He is a grandson of Randy Voepel, a Republican California State Assemblymember who compared the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol to the American Revolutionary War. On June 18, 2021, Aldrich's mother reported that he had made a bomb threat against her, for which he was arrested after a standoff that resulted in neighboring homes being evacuated. No charges were pursued in the case, which was sealed. Aldrich called an editor for the The Colorado Springs Gazette in August 2021 to have a news article on the incident removed or updated.

Responses

The El Paso County government said, "We are deeply saddened by the senseless shooting that occurred early this morning in Colorado Springs at Club Q", praying, and condolences to support victim's families. Governor Jared Polis, the nation's first openly gay governor, said, "We are eternally grateful for the brave individuals who blocked the gunman likely saving lives in the process".

Aftermath

The injured were transported to three hospitals: seven to Penrose Hospital, ten to Memorial Hospital Central, and two to Memorial Hospital North. Some ambulances had to transport up to three patients at a time, and a few police cruisers had to transport victims as well.

The club said on social media that customers subdued the gunman, that it was "devastated by the senseless attack on our community", and that it offered condolences to the victims and their families.

Police Chief Adrian Vasquez said that the investigation would look into whether the attack was a hate crime. CNN noted that the shooting occurred on the eve of Transgender Day of Remembrance.

See also

• List of mass shootings in the United States in 2022
• List of shootings in Colorado
• 2022 Bratislava shooting
• 2022 Oslo shooting
• Orlando nightclub shooting
• Tel Aviv gay centre shooting

References

1. ^ Ferguson, Sarah (November 20, 2022). "Timeline: Club Q shooting emergency response". KXRM-TV. Retrieved November 20, 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
2. ^ Levenson, Eric; Watson, Michelle; Rose, Andy (November 20, 2022). "Gunman kills 5 at LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs before patrons confront and stop him, police say". CNN. Retrieved November 20, 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
3. Roscoe, Matthew (November 20, 2022). "BREAKING UPDATE: Five dead after mass shooting at Colorado Springs gay nightclub". EuroWeekly News. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
4. Watson, Michelle (November 20, 2022). "Number of people wounded in Colorado Springs mass shooting increases to 25". CNN. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
5. ^ Tucker, Emma; Levenson, Eric; Watson, Michelle; Rose, Andy; Vera, Amir (November 20, 2022). "What we know about the Colorado Springs LGBTQ nightclub shooting". CNN. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
6. ^ Levenson, Eric (November 20, 2022). "Until recently, Club Q was the only LGBTQ club in Colorado Springs". CNN. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
7. Smith, Alissa (June 7, 2021). "A New LGBTQ Bar Is Changing the Narrative in Colorado Springs". 5280. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
8. ^ Bubola, Emma; Smith, Mitch (November 20, 2022). "Patrons Subdued Gunman Who Killed at Least 5 at Colorado Club: Live Updates". The New York Times. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
9. Tobias, Ben; Maishman, Elsa (November 20, 2022). "Club Q Colorado shooting: Suspect held after five killed in attack at nightclub". BBC News. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
10. ^ Dress, Brad (November 20, 2022). "What we know about the Colorado Springs nightclub shooting suspect". The Hill. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
11. Beedle, Heidi (November 20, 2022). "5 Dead Following CO Springs Shooting at LGBTQ Nightclub". Colorado Times Recorder. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
12. D'Angelo, Bob (November 20, 2022). "5 killed, 18 hurt in shooting at gay nightclub in Colorado Springs; suspect identified". WHIO-TV. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
13. "Evacuation order lifted for Lorson Ranch neighborhood". KXRM. June 18, 2021. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
14. Nevins, Brooke; McKinley, Carol (November 20, 2022). "Anderson Lee Aldrich, Colorado Springs mass shooting suspect, may have had earlier run-ins with police". The Colorado Springs Gazette. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
15. "El Paso County Statement on Shooting in Colorado Springs". El Paso County, Colorado (Press release). November 20, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
16. Watson, Michelle (November 20, 2022). "Police say they're investigating whether shooting was a hate crime". CNN. Retrieved November 20, 2022.

• Current events from November 2022
• 2022 in Colorado
• 2022 in LGBT history
• 2022 mass shootings in the United States
• 2020s crimes in Colorado
• Attacks on bars
• Attacks on nightclubs
• Attacks on buildings and structures in the United States
• Colorado Springs, Colorado
• Deaths by firearm in Colorado
• Mass shootings in Colorado
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• November 2022 crimes in the United States
• Violence against LGBT people in the United States